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The European Parliament adopted a resolution tabled by
the Committee on Foreign Affairs on the 2012 progress report on
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

General considerations:
whilst strongly reiterating its support for the European
integration of BiH, Parliament is concerned at the continued
lack of a shared vision for the overall direction of the country on
the part of the political elites, which is putting BiH at risk
of continuing to fall further behind the other countries of the
region. Members underline the importance for BiH of speaking
with one voice in the EU integration process, and they urge
political leaders to work together and focus on the implementation
of the Roadmap as part of the High Level Dialogue with the
Commission, thus making it possible to meet the requirements
enabling the Stabilisation and Association Agreement to come into
force at last and permitting the submission of a credible
membership application. At the same time, Parliament encourages
innovative ways of fostering a climate of reconciliation in
Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region.

Political conditions:
Members state that tangible progress is needed in key areas of
state-building, including in governance, the judiciary and the
implementation of the rule of law, as well as in the fight against
corruption and in approximation to EU standards. Parliament urges
the authorities to execute the Sejdić-Finci judgment,
as a first step in the comprehensive constitutional reform that is
needed in order to move towards a modern and functional
democracy. Parliament also urges the following:

·substantial constitutional reforms, at
both state and entity levels, in order to make the institutional
structures at all levels more efficient, functional and
transparent;

·the establishment of an independent, impartial
and effective judicial system supported by an impartial and
independent police service, and implementation of the Justice
Sector Reform Strategy and the National War Crimes
Strategy;

·reforming public administration and
strengthening administrative capacities at all levels of government
dealing with EU matters;

·the development of independent and diverse
media that are free of political interference, ethnic
fragmentation and polarisation;

·implementation of anti-discrimination
laws and policies and addressing the shortcomings existing in
law and practice;

·the sustainable return of refugees and
internally displaced persons by ensuring their access to
housing, education, social protection and employment, noting that
at the end of 2011 there were still approximately 113 000
internally displaced persons in BiH.

Lastly, Members express their concern over the high
level of corruption, its link to political parties and the
presence of corruption in all layers of public life. They invite
the responsible authorities to show political will in tackling
the issue and to provide means for the Anti-Corruption Agency
to become fully operational.

Socio-economic issues:
Parliament notes that a lack of job prospects, in particular
for young people, continues to seriously plague the socio-economic
and political development of the country. It is also concerned
about the size of the informal economy and expresses concern
over the impact that political instability and the weak rule of
law have on growth and investment, as well as on the business
environment as a whole. Members call on the government to create a
single economic space within the country, and stress the
need to improve the overall quality of education in order to
meet the needs of the internal and foreign labour market, and also
urge all competent authorities to end the ethnic segregation of
children.

Regional cooperation and bilateral
issues: Members commend BiH for its
constructive role in regional cooperation, and invite the country
to work on the delimitation of borders in cooperation with all its
neighbours. They urge the authorities in BiH to step up their
preparations for Croatia's accession to the EU by aligning the
relevant BiH food safety legislation with the EU acquis. Parliament
is concerned that the lack of action by the BiH authorities may
lead to losses on the BiH export markets. Lastly, it reiterates its
call to permit the entry of Kosovo citizens, since BiH is
still the only country of the region not admitting them.